physical features of india

• major physiographic division of India

  1. the Himalayan mountains
  2. the northern plains
  3. the peninsula plateau
  4. the Indian desert
  5. the coastal plains
  6. the island
• The Himalayan mountain: the Himalayan consist of three distinct parallel ranges. Longitudinally:

  Great Himalayas/ himadri

  Middle Himalayas/Himachal

  Outer Himalayas/shiwalik
• The Himalayan mountain: the Himalayas are geologically one of the youngest mountains in the world. The mountain range run in west-east direction from brahmaputra 
• great Himalayas or Himadri: this range is most continuous range consisting of the prominent peak with an average height of 6000m. important peaks are: mount everest (8848m), Kangchenjunga (8598m), nanda devi (7817m), and nanga parbat (8126m)
• middle Himalaya or himachal: the south range of the great himalaya from the most rigged mountains. the latitude here is between 370-4500m. its width is 50km. important ranges are mahabharat, shimla, dalhousie, pir panjal, dharamshala
• outer Himalayas or shiwalik: the outermost range of the Himalayas is called shiwalik. Their width ranges from 10-50km. they have altitudes between 900-1100m. the longitudinal trough/valley that is between the middle Himalayas as known as duns. it is a flat bottomed valleys covered with thick deposits of alluvium and gravel. eg. dehru dun, patli dun
• the Himalaya are divided into four sections in the west-to-east direction:

  1. the Kashmir/punjab Himalayas
  2. the kumaun Himalaya
  3. the nepal himalaya
  4. the Assam Himalaya
• 1. Kashmir/Punjab Himalaya: between the Indus and Sutlej rivers.
  2. kumaun Himalaya: between Sutlej and kali river
  3. nepal himalaya: between kali and tista river
  4. Assam Himalaya: between kali and Bharmaputra (dihong) rivers.
• The Northern Plains: The interplay of three important river systems, the Indus, the Ganga and the Brahmaputra are plains called the Indo-Gangetic plains, along with the tributaries led to the formation of northern plains. this plain is a farm of alluvial fans.

  alluvial fans are triangular-shaped deposits with their base facing the plain.
• features formed by the river in the plain are:

  1. bluff: a high, steep cliff used to donate a river-cut cliff or a steep slope
  2. floodplain: a gentle slope formed by the layers of sediments deposited by the river over the floor of the valley
  3. bar: a deposit of sand or mud in a river channel
  4. channel: when a river gives a lot of mud and silt, it splits into a different direction.
  5. levees: elevated banks, standing above the level of flood plains flanking a channel.
• the vast northern plains can also be divided based on variation relief features into four regions:

  1. khadar
  2. bangar
  3. terai
  4. bhabar
• 1. khadar: the youngest alluvium deposits soil of flood plains
  2. Bangar: the older alluvium deposits
  3. terai: the wet marshy area having a thick forest and a variety of wildlife
  4. bhabar: an 8-16km wide alluvium, that forms a pebble that is parallel to the slope of the river bed. lies among the feet of shiwaliks from indus to tista
• the peninsular plateau: it is a tableland. it is composed of crystalline, igneous and metamorphic rock of old age. it was formed by the breaking up and drifting of the Godwanaland land. it is a part of the oldest landmass in India. this plateau has two broad division,

  1. central highland
  2. deccan plateau
• Central highland

  1. they lie to the north Narmada River
  2. they are bounded by Vindhya mountain ranges
  3. the chota nagpur plateau marks its eastern part
  4. it slopes are west to east
  5. elevation between 700-1000m
• Deccan plateau

  1. they lie in the south narmanda river
  2. bounded by the eastern and western ghats
  3. the mahadeo, kaimur hills and maikal range marks its eastern part
  4. it slopes is from south to west to north east
  5. elevation of 600m
• in the western ghats, the highest peaks are anamudi (2695m) and doddabetta(2637m)

  in the eastern ghats, the highest peaks are Mahendragiri (1,501 m)
• The Malwa Plateau is located between Aravali and vindhya range
• Escarpments are wall-like steep slopes of a ridge, forming a long barrier that rises higher than the surrounding land.
• the Indian desert: the Indian desert lies towards the western Aravali hills. it is undulating with sand dunes. it receives very low rainfall below 150mm per year.

  the Luni is the only large river in the region.

  landforms of thar desert are divided into three major types:

  1. sand covered thar
  2. plains
  3. hills
• the coastal plains: a coastal plain is a low-lying and flat area of land that is near the coast and is adjacent to the sea coats. the coastal plains in India lay on either side of the Deccan plateau with the eastern and western coasts of India.
• Western Coastal is divided into three sections:

  1. Konkan coast: the highly rugged and dissected coastal plains in the north
  2. Kannad Plain: the central sketch
  3. Malabar coast: the third or southern sketch
• estuaries: drowned valleys formed due to the rise in sea levels
• lagoons: salt water lakes formed on the Kerala coast in the far south, eg, chilika lake
• coromandel: the coast of southern Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu
• the island: Lakshadweep island group lying close to the Malabar coast of Kerala. it covers a small area of 32sq km. Kavaratti Island is the administrative headquarters of Lakshadweep

  the andaman and Nicobar island is in the south. they are bigger in size and are more numerous and scattered
• the Andaman and Nicobar Islands are a group of more than 3000 islands out of which 265 are uninhabitable.

  the Lakshadweep Island were formed of coral deposits called atolls.
• plate tectonic: the scientific concept that explains the movements of the crustal plates
• folding: wrinkles and crumples of rock strata, caused by compression of the earths crust
• split: a thin projection of land into the sea, lake or river; shell or reed extending from the shore